-
State of Maryland Vote-by-Mail Election: Ballot Drop Boxes – Use
& Ballot Retrieval Procedures
1 Issued 5/8/2020
Minimum Requirements 1. The person picking up ballots must be
sworn in and have a criminal background check on file. 2. The
person picking up the ballots must display a State or county ID. 3.
Notify law enforcement of the location of the ballot box and
request increased patrolling.
Recommendations 1. Identify locations with 24/7 camera
surveillance. 2. The person picking up ballots should wear a top
with the name of the election office (e.g., vest
or shirt with “County Board of Elections” printed on it). 3. Use
a team of two election officials to retrieve ballots.
Before Installation 1. Use the SBE-provided template and create
a Ballot Drop Box Integrity/Transportation Log
(“Integrity Report”) for each drop box.
Installation 1. Once installed, make sure that the ballot slot
is accessible and clear. 2. Open the bottom door and verify that
the container is inside and positioned to capture ballots. 3. Close
and lock the bottom door. (There are two locks – lock them both.)
4. Attach a seal to the bottom door. 5. Record the seal number on
Integrity Report. 6. If the box is installed before May 21st:
a. Close and lock the ballot slot. b. Attach a tamper-evident
seal to the ballot slot door. c. Record the seal number on the
Integrity Report.
7. If the box is installed on May 21st, leave the ballot slot
unlocked.
Opening Drop Box at 7 am on May 21st 1. Check:
a. The locks on the bottom door and ballot slot are intact b.
The seals are intact c. The seal numbers match the seal numbers on
the Integrity Report
2. Remove the seal and unlock the bottom door. 3. Verify that
there are no voted ballots in the container. 4. Close and lock the
bottom door. 5. Apply a new seal. 6. Record the new seal number on
the Integrity Report. 7. Unlock the ballot slot. 8. Check that the
ballot slot opening is clear.
Retrieving Ballots: Retrieve ballots 3 times a day – 7 am, 2 pm,
and 8 pm. You will need a ballot bin or other secure container to
transport the ballots from the drop off box to your office.
1. Check: a. The locks on the bottom door and ballot slot are
intact b. The seals are intact c. The seal numbers match the seal
numbers on the Integrity Report
2. Remove the seal and unlock the bottom door.
-
State of Maryland Vote-by-Mail Election: Ballot Drop Boxes – Use
& Ballot Retrieval Procedures
2 Issued 5/8/2020
3. Put the voted ballots into the ballot bin. 4. Close the
ballot bin lid and seal. 5. Record seal number in appropriate
column on Integrity Report. 6. Position the empty container so that
it will capture ballots. 7. Close and lock the bottom door. 8.
Apply a new seal. 9. Record the new seal number on the Integrity
Report.
If a voter wants to deliver a ballot while you are retrieving
ballots: 1. If the ballot bin is still open, take the ballot and
put it in the ballot bin before sealing. 2. If the ballot bin is
sealed, ask the voter to wait until the drop box is locked and
ready.
Closing Drop Box at 8 pm on June 2nd 1. If there is a line of
voters waiting to drop off ballots at 8 pm
a. Any voter in line at 8 pm can drop off ballots b. If
appropriate, stand in line or give the last person in line the
“last voter” card c. Tell any voter who arrives after 8 pm and the
ballot is not timely
2. Check: a. The locks on the bottom door and ballot slot are
intact b. The seals are intact c. The seal numbers match the seal
numbers on the Integrity Report
3. Remove the seal and unlock the bottom door. 4. Put the voted
ballots into the ballot bin. 5. Close the ballot bin lid and seal.
6. Record seal number in appropriate column on Integrity Report. 7.
Position the empty container so that it will capture dropped
ballots. 8. Close and lock the bottom door. 9. Apply a new
tamper-evident seal. 8. Record the new seal number on the Integrity
Report. 9. Close and lock the ballot slot. 10. Attach a seal to the
ballot slot door. 11. Record the seal number on the Integrity
Report.
If a voter wants to deliver a ballot while you are retrieving
ballots: 1. Explain to the voter that it is after 8 pm and the
ballot is not timely. 2. If the voter insists that you take the
ballot:
a. Write on the return envelope the date, time and your initials
b. If you have not sealed the ballot bin, place the ballot in the
ballot bin c. If you have sealed the ballot bin, take the
ballot.
Other Procedures If the bottom box is opened outside of
scheduled ballot retrieval process:
1. Check the seal number matches the seal number on the
Integrity Report 2. Unlock and open the bottom box 3. Perform
whatever task necessitated opening the bottom box 4. Close and lock
the bottom door
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State of Maryland Vote-by-Mail Election: Ballot Drop Boxes – Use
& Ballot Retrieval Procedures
3 Issued 5/8/2020
5. Attach a seal 6. Record the seal number on the Integrity
Report
If there is evidence of tampering: 1. Record the incident on the
back of the Integrity Report 2. Call your supervisor immediately 3.
If possible, remove all ballots and attach a new seal 4. If step #3
cannot be performed:
a. Stay near the ballot drop box b. Allow voters to deposit
voted ballots c. If the locks are compromised, obtain other locks
and continue use d. If the ballot drop box can no longer be used
(e.g., ballot slot is damaged and voted
ballots cannot be deposited): i. Lock the ballot slot
ii. Post sign saying the ballot drop box is not available and
give locations of other ballot drop boxes.
iii. Arrange for a replacement ballot drop box 5. Report
incident to law enforcement and request increased monitoring 6.
Report incident to SBE
Returning Ballots to Office When the ballots (in the ballot bin)
are returned to the office:
1. Verify the seal number on the bin matches the seal number on
the Integrity Report 2. Remove ballots from ballot bin 3. Count the
number of ballots 4. Record the number of ballots on the Ballot
Drop Box Acceptance Log 5. Starting June 1st, date stamp the return
envelopes 6. Process received ballots following the Absentee Ballot
process
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4/23/2020 Maryland.gov Mail - BMDS FOR JUNE
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=79a05339f1&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3A1664780840780350037%7Cmsg-f%3A16647808407803…
1/1
Nikki Charlson -SBE-
BMDS FOR JUNE1 message
Goldman, Abigail Thu, Apr 23, 2020 at 12:18 PMTo: Nikki Charlson
-SBE-
Nikki
We are requesting your board to allow us to use 8 bmds per each
voting center for the June 2, 2020 election.
Thanks
Abigail
-
4/28/2020 Maryland.gov Mail - Ballot Marking Device - Cecil Vote
Center
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=b352e8e394&view=pt&search=all&permmsgid=msg-f%3A1665223127842250752&simpl=msg-f%3A16652231278…
1/2
Erin Perrone -SBE-
Ballot Marking Device - Cecil Vote CenterRuie Lavoie Tue, Apr
28, 2020 at 9:28 AMTo: Erin Perrone -SBE- Cc: Lora Walters
Erin,
Cecil County is seeking an exception for the number of Ballot
Marking Devices deployed to our Vote Center on June 2,2020. In the
best interest of the voters we will serve, we request permission
for to increase to six (6).
Please thank the Board for their consideration.
Be well,
Ruie
Ruie Marie Lavoie
Director
Cecil County Board of Elections
Secretary, Maryland Association of Election Officials (MAEO)
2020 MAEO Conference Planner
200 Chesapeake Boulevard, Suite 1900
Elkton, Maryland 21921
[email protected]
Office: 410.996.5310
Fax: 888.979.8183
Cecil County Government, Customer Service Survey
The Information contained in this communication may be
confidential, is intended only for the use of the recipient
namedabove and may be legally privileged. If the reader of this
message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified
https://www.google.com/maps/search/200+Chesapeake+Boulevard,+Suite+1900+%0D%0A+Elkton,+Maryland+21921?entry=gmail&source=ghttps://www.google.com/maps/search/200+Chesapeake+Boulevard,+Suite+1900+%0D%0A+Elkton,+Maryland+21921?entry=gmail&source=ghttps://www.google.com/maps/search/200+Chesapeake+Boulevard,+Suite+1900+%0D%0A+Elkton,+Maryland+21921?entry=gmail&source=gmailto:[email protected]://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCGCustomerService
-
4/28/2020 Maryland.gov Mail - Ballot Marking Device - Cecil Vote
Center
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=b352e8e394&view=pt&search=all&permmsgid=msg-f%3A1665223127842250752&simpl=msg-f%3A16652231278…
2/2
that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this
communication, or any of its contents, is strictly prohibited. If
youhave received this communication in error, please re-send this
communication to the sender and delete the originalmessage and any
copy of it from your computer system.
Thank you.
-
5/7/2020 Maryland.gov Mail - BMD
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=79a05339f1&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3A1666045337922740649%7Cmsg-f%3A16660453379227…
1/1
Nikki Charlson -SBE-
BMD1 message
Alexander, Alisha L. Thu, May 7, 2020 at 11:17 AMTo: Erin -SBE-
, "[email protected]"
The Prince George’s County Board of Elections is requesting the
approval to allocate five ballot marking devices to eachof the four
vote centers.
This request is based on the large number of voters that have
historically utilized the BMD’s.
Your expeditious response would be appreciated.
As always, thanks!!
Alisha AlexanderPrince George’s County Board of
Elections301-341-7300
Sent from my iPhone________________________________ This E-mail
and any of its attachments may contain Prince George’s County
Government or Prince George's County 7thJudicial Circuit Court
proprietary information or Protected Health Information, which is
privileged and confidential. This E-mail is intended solely for the
use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. If you
are not the intended recipientof this E-mail, you are hereby
notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying, or action
taken in relation to thecontents of and attachments to this E-mail
is strictly prohibited by federal law and may expose you to civil
and/or criminalpenalties. If you have received this E-mail in
error, please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete
theoriginal and any copy of this E-mail and any printout.
-
5/6/2020 Maryland.gov Mail - Fwd: Ballot Marking Devices and
June 2nd 2020 Primary Election
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=b352e8e394&view=pt&search=all&permmsgid=msg-f%3A1665897144016982052&simpl=msg-f%3A16658971440…
1/2
Erin Perrone -SBE-
Fwd: Ballot Marking Devices and June 2nd 2020 Primary
ElectionNikki Charlson -SBE- Tue, May 5, 2020 at 8:01 PMTo: Erin
Perrone
FYI
www.elections.maryland.gov_____________________________________________________________________
---------- Forwarded message ---------From: Jurgensen, Margaret
Date: Mon, May 4, 2020 at 5:42 PMSubject: Ballot Marking Devices
and June 2nd 2020 Primary ElectionTo: Linda Lamone -SBE- , Nikki
Charlson -SBE- Cc: Ross, Janet A. , Jones, Lisa C.
,[email protected] , John Speir
([email protected])
The Montgomery County Board of Election is requesting permission
todeploy the following number of Ballot Marking Devices:
1. Germantown Community Recreation Center Vote Center assign
6Ballot Marking Devices and 2 BMDs in reserve.
2. Praisner Community Recreation Center Vote Center assign 10
BallotMarking Devices and 2 BMDs in reserve.
3. Silver Spring Civic Center-Great Hall assign 12 Ballot
Marking Devicesand 3 BMDs in reserve.
4. Activity Center at Bohrer Park Gyms Vote Center assign 20
BallotMarking Devices and 3BMDs in reserve.
Staff believes the use of the Ballot Marking Devices will
facilitate thetargeted special needs voters and assist with moving
the
Lines, where there might exist quicker because of the
additionalsanitation steps involved with paper ballots and voting
booths.
Margaret Jurgensen
Election Director
18753 N. Frederick Ave
https://twitter.com/md_sbehttps://www.facebook.com/MarylandStateBoardofElectionshttp://www.elections.maryland.gov/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.google.com/maps/search/18753+N.+Frederick+Ave+%0D%0A+Gaithersburg+MD+20879?entry=gmail&source=g
-
5/6/2020 Maryland.gov Mail - Fwd: Ballot Marking Devices and
June 2nd 2020 Primary Election
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=b352e8e394&view=pt&search=all&permmsgid=msg-f%3A1665897144016982052&simpl=msg-f%3A16658971440…
2/2
Gaithersburg MD 20879
240.777.8523
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/census/
https://montgomerycountymd.gov/coronavirus
https://www.google.com/maps/search/18753+N.+Frederick+Ave+%0D%0A+Gaithersburg+MD+20879?entry=gmail&source=ghttps://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/census/https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/census/https://montgomerycountymd.gov/coronavirushttps://montgomerycountymd.gov/coronavirus
-
State of Maryland Special General Election for the 7th
Congressional District Review
151 West Street, Suite 200 PO Box 6486 Annapolis, MD 21401
Local - 410.269.2840 Toll Free - 800.222.8683 MD Relay -
800.735.2258 www.elections.maryland.gov
Election Data Turnout by jurisdiction: 32%
● Baltimore City: 58,142 (25.0%) ● Baltimore County: 52,095
(38.1%) ● Howard County: 46,786 (38.5%)
In-person turnout: 1,004 voters ● Baltimore City: 453 ●
Baltimore County: 322 ● Howard County: 229
Same day registration: 5 individuals ● Baltimore City: 4 ●
Baltimore County: 1 ● Howard County: 0
Undeliverable ballots: 28,608 ● Baltimore City: 20,367 ●
Baltimore County: 4,355 ● Howard County: 3,886
Rejected ballots (Percentage based on total number of rejected
ballots by county) ● Baltimore City: 2,172
- 1,687 ballots were rejected for being late (78%) - 313 ballots
were rejected for no signature (14%)
● Baltimore County: 1,503 - 1,186 ballots were rejected for
being late (79%) - 225 ballots were rejected for no signature
(8%)
● Howard County: 1,460 - 1,278 ballots were rejected for being
late (87%) - 122 ballots were rejected for no signature (8%)
There were at least five voters at each vote center that used
the ballot marking device to make their selections. Voter Outreach
& Education
● Message was seen or heard over 5.5 million times over 6 days ●
Digital Media Strategy included Google Display, Facebook, and
Instagram and targeted
users 18-65+ living in the zip codes for the 7th Congressional
District. ○ Google Display: We displayed ads when users were
browsing websites, like blogs
and news sites. This effort reached 2.8 million users during 7
days, with almost 3 times as many views as Facebook/Instagram.
Users aged 25-34 garnered the most views, followed by users 65+
○ Facebook/Instagram: We displayed video and static image ads.
Instagram delivered more impressions (57%) than Facebook, and
static ads had more impressions than Instagram. This
click-through-rate (users who clicked the ad and ended up on SBE’s
website) with Facebook and Instagram was twice that of Google
Display.
● Radio and Baltimore Sun included a mix of stations to reach a
diverse audience while focusing on an older demographic and
BaltimoreSun.com. The result of the radio buys was over 1.5 million
estimated impressions for $17,000. The stations on which the ads
ran were WLIF (101.9), WMMX (106.5), WBAL-AM, WOLB-AM, and WWIN
(95.9). Rotating ads were placed on BaltimoreSun.com over five days
and received over 213,000 views.
-
Special General Election for the 7th Congressional District –
Review Page 2 of 2 Lessons Learned
1. Mature absentee voting process can be expanded to a
vote-by-mail process 2. Local election officials quickly
transitioned to vote-by-mail 3. Work with USPS to understand
differences in delivery rate data 4. Enhance audits to verify that
all eligible voters receive a ballot 5. Expand voter education
efforts 6. Voters liked the ballot drop off containers 7. The three
local boards in the 7th Congressional District are sharing with
their colleagues
in other local boards their best practices for preparing for and
conducting a vote-by-mail canvass
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Title 33 STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS Subtitle 07 ELECTION DAY
ACTIVITIES Chapter 03 Officials’ Duties Generally
Authority: Election Law Article, §§2-102(b)(4), 2-202(b), and
10-301, Annotated Code of Maryland
[.04 Polling Place Evaluation Program.
A. Establishment Required. Each election director shall develop
and, with the approval of the State Administrator, establish and
implement a polling place evaluation program using the polling
place evaluation form issued by the State Administrator.
B. Elements.
(1) The program shall provide for unannounced election day
visits to polling places to assess the election judges' compliance
with applicable procedures and their general performance.
(2) Board members, staff members, independent contractors, or
volunteers may be used to make these visits and assessments, as
long as they have been properly trained in the election day polling
place procedures outlined in the Judges' Manual.
C. Reports to Administrator.
(1) If requested by the State Administrator, the election
director shall submit a report of the results of that election's
evaluation.
(2) The report shall be submitted within the time and in the
form that the State Administrator requests.]
Explanation: This proposed change removes the requirement for
the formal evaluation program for voter centers for June 2nd. The
purpose of this evaluation is collect information on-site about the
operation and management of the voting centers. With the current
public health emergency, it seems prudent to limit individuals at
voting centers for this election.
At the April 13th meeting, the State Board approved repealing
the requirement for the formal evaluation program for vote centers
for a special general election. That action, however, did not cover
the June 2nd election.
This change is being proposed as an emergency change. This means
that the changes to 3307.03.04 would be effective for the
presidential primary election (June 2, 2020). After this election,
the requirement for evaluation program would return.
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Title 33 STATE BOARD OF ELECTIONS Subtitle 11 ABSENTEE BALLOTS
Chapter 03 Issuance and Return
Authority: Election Law Article, §§2-102(b)(4), 2-202(b), 9-303,
9-305, 9-306, 9-310, 11-301, 11-302, and 11-304, Annotated Code of
Maryland .06 Return of Ballot. A. – D. (text unchanged) E. Ballots
Returned at [an Early Voting Center or Polling Place. Whenever an
absentee ballot is received at an early voting center or polling
place, a chief judge or designee shall:
(1) Instruct the voter to put the voted absentee ballot into the
absentee ballot bag; (2) Ensure the security of the absentee ballot
bag; and (3) Return the absentee ballot bag to the local board of
elections at the end of voting
hours each day of early voting and on election day.] a
designated ballot-return location. (1) A voter can return a voted
ballot at a ballot drop off container outside locations
that have been designated by the local board to serve as
ballot-return locations. (2) The ballot drop off container
shall:
(a) Be designed to prevent an individual from accessing voted
ballots once deposited;
(b) Include a statement that tampering with ballots is a crime;
and (c) Include the State Board’s phone number.
(3) The local board shall retrieve ballots according to
procedures issued by the State Administrator. .08 When Ballots Are
Timely. A. (text unchanged) B. In General. An absentee ballot is
considered to have been timely received only if:
(1) (text unchanged) (2) The ballot is [received by a polling
place] deposited into a ballot drop off
container before the polls close [at that polling place] on
election day; or (3) (text unchanged)
C. (text unchanged) Explanation: The current regulations allow
voters to enter a voting location to return a voted absentee ballot
and define certain procedural requirements. With ballot drop off
containers outside each voting location and the desire to limit the
number of people inside the voting location, the proposed change to
Regulation .06 moves the drop off process from inside the voting
location to outside the voting location and establishes
requirements for the ballot drop off container and retrieving voted
ballots from the container. The proposed change to Regulation .08
incorporates similar changes to the “timely” definition. These
changes are being proposed as an emergency change. This means that
the changes to 33.11.03.06 and .08 would be effective for only the
presidential primary election (June 2, 2020). After these
elections, the process of dropping off voted ballots inside a
voting room would return.
-
Kahan S. Dhillon, Jr. May 11, 2020 Mayor of Baltimore City -
Candidate
Dear Jared,
Thank you very much for your considerations relative to my
candidacy during these unprecedented times. As you know, I fall in
the unique position of having filed my candidacy for Mayor of
Baltimore prior to the pandemic crippling our state and now being
in the impossible position of violating the laws of Maryland to
secure signatures from the citizens of Baltimore. This potentially
denies the citizens of Baltimore the right to choose their next
Mayor.
I respectfully submit my requests of the State Board of
Elections as a follow-up to my letter submitted, your response to
that letter and our most recent conversations.
I would like to re-assert my request that the SBE request the
Governor to remove the petition signature requirement for Non-Party
Affiliated Candidates to appear on the ballot in November due to
the historic Pandemic that has played our great state and Nation.
The cases and deaths in Maryland connected to COVID-19 as of the
date of this e-mail continue to increase. As more testing has been
conducted more of the virus is being detected. The first priority
of all state agencies must be to preserve and protect the lives of
its constituency. Therein requiring petition signatures which have
always been procured in person and for which there is no reliable
and tested state online system to procure them without question
puts lives at risk. Many of the Nation's foremost medical experts
at the CDC are expecting this Pandemic to continue to plague our
Nation certainly through the November election timeframe. As major
historic accommodations have already been made by the Governor and
SBE including and not limited to moving the date of the primaries
and altering voting to ‘vote by mail’, what I am requesting is not
at all unreasonable and consistent with the flexibility already
exhibited by SBE in these extraordinary times. In fact, other
States such as Illinois have recently taken action to level the
playing field and create fair and equitable opportunities in these
challenging times by reducing the necessary petition votes to 10%
of their original requirement. There is no reason the Governor
should not have the opportunity to respond to a matter of such a
landmark nature at such a landmark time. I hope you agree he should
have the opportunity to review and respond to this request as you
have correctly stated in your previous response that the matter is
one outside of the domain of the SBE and falls with the purview of
the Governor. That said, an equitable recommendation by SBE of
removing the petition signature requirement or, in the alternative,
at least follow the Illinois model and reduce the required
signatures to 10% and all for such signature gathering to be
accomplished on line.
I request the opportunity to be heard and convey my sentiments
on this matter at the next meeting of the SBE, whether in person of
via video chat. My understanding is public input is sought and
welcomed by the SBE on such matters as such and I would like to
have my testimony heard. With Regards,
Kahan S. Dhillon, Jr. Mayor of Baltimore City - Candidate
-
May 13, 2020 Ms. Linda Lamone Maryland State Board of Elections
151 West Street Suite 200 Annapolis, MD 21401 Dear Ms. Lamone &
SBE staff: Thank you for what I believe was a very constructive and
informative hearing earlier today. There were a number of issues
raised that warrant consideration by the Board at tomorrow’s
meeting. ● Privacy Envelopes
o We understand that it adds to the time spent completing the
canvass. Going from roughly 5% to 95% of votes by mail, however,
makes this critically important. At least nineteen states require
this by law; others handle this by regulation.
o You mentioned that it was a local choice. Isn’t SBE handling
all of the printing details this year in a Vote-by-Mail election?
Do you expect that this will change to allow a local option?
● Drop-off Box Security and Access o Your PowerPoint indicated
that the boxes will be available 24/7 for voter
convenience—that’s
terrific. It seems that the best practice is to have cameras to
monitor the locations. This also helps with the “chain of custody”
of a ballot.
● Delayed Ballot Delivery o Del. Ebersole’s ballot arriving ON
Election Day for the Special Election was obviously
problematic.
Not every voter would know how to address this earlier so that
their votes would count. o Ballot delivery from Minnesota has been
an issue. If we have VBM for November, might you
consider having any non-Maryland vendor ship the ballots to
Maryland to drop at local post offices?
● Educational PR Campaign
o $1.3 million for a statewide campaign struck many of us as
pretty low. Will that be sufficient? Are you seeking more?
o Which locations will you be prioritizing? You mentioned
Instagram… but also focusing on senior citizens?
o We are interested in knowing which outlets you’re planning to
use, including in local community newspapers and those with a
minority focus.
● Precinct Data o Several legislators have expressed concern
that results for the June Primary will not be reported at
the precinct level. Nikki mentioned the option of “front end” or
“back end.” Although we have missed the deadline for front end
planning, exactly how long would the back end method take? In the
event that we cannot get precinct-level results, what is the
smallest geographic area that they could be tracked?
-
● Voter Identification o When Sen. Ellis held up his ballot,
your team told him that the code identified him. If that is
true:
▪ Why is it that that doesn’t allow “front end” precinct
sorting, as Sen. Washington asked; and ▪ How is this not a total
violation of voter privacy???
● Privacy, Safety, and Transparency of the Canvass o You said
that there is no way of specifically associating a ballot with a
voter. Several of us found this
not to be accurate, based on our observation of the three
jurisdictions as they canvassed for the 7th Congressional District
election. How will you ensure that the canvasses follow
regulations? This relates to how envelopes are opened; how ballots
are removed without letting any staff see the identity of the
voter; and ensuring that the ballot is not removed until all ballot
envelopes in a batch have been opened. This did not happen in any
of the three jurisdictions.
o In this time of the Coronavirus, will SBE be emphasizing
requirements for worker safety? Too many election workers were seen
on camera without gloves and/or masks and having chatty
conversations that were NOT six feet apart!
● Electronic Ballot Delivery o What are SBE and the local
election boards doing to reduce the number of voters using this
time-
consuming and vulnerable method of voting? Many Marylanders have
already requested this method of delivery for the November General
Election. How will we be encouraging them to use a regular mail-in
ballot instead?
● Locking in Vendors o We were glad to hear that you had
confirmed a printer for the November election—regardless of
whether it will be in person or another VBM election. Have you
looked into procuring equipment for opening and processing ballots,
since we would expect an enormous volume of votes in November? As
you are surely aware, other states are competing for this same
equipment.
● Correcting Voter Errors o You mentioned that 313 ballots were
rejected in the Special Election due to a lack of a signature.
We
can expect many more in June and November. How will these be
processed? Will the curing process be a State or local
decision?
Thank you again for all you are doing to ensure that we have a
successful election process in this very challenging time. I know
we share the goal of smooth, private, transparent, safe, and
accurate elections. Best,
Cheryl Cheryl C. Kagan Maryland State Senator, District 17 Vice
Chair, EHEA
cc: EHEA Senate colleagues and staff
Ways & Means colleagues and staff Members, SBE Board:
Michael R. Cogan, Chair
Patrick J. Hogan, Vice Chair Malcolm L. Funn Kelley Howells
William G. Voelp
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5/6/2020 Maryland.gov Mail - Toward a secret mail-in ballot
system
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=79a05339f1&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3A1665955416184767452%7Cmsg-f%3A16659554161847…
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Nikki Charlson -SBE-
Toward a secret mail-in ballot system1 message
Marc Hoffman Wed, May 6, 2020 at 11:27 AMTo: Nikki Charlson
-SBE-
Dear State Board of Elections:
A secret ballot is not guaranteed by the Constitution, but most
Americans--perhaps you--expect that their vote is secret--that it's
impossible for anyone to find out how we've voted. I learned last
week that mailed-in ballots in Maryland remainassociated with the
envelopes they came in, so it is possible to determine who cast
which ballot. At the end of thismessage I have an immediate
proposal about this situation and a longer term request.
In my experience, the Maryland Boards of Elections and staff and
are dedicated, competent, trustworthy individuals, andthese
comments are in no way directed at them. Rather, my concern is
about a system that apparently conveys anunappreciated power to the
government, unmonitored by the public. As a general rule, allowing
the government to haveaccess to a citizen's private speech is a bad
idea, in my view.
People associated with my local board, Montgomery County, have
assured me that the ability to locate a particular ballotsent by an
individual has benefits for the overall credibility of the
election, permitting the removal of invalid ballots andfacilitating
post-election auditing. These are important benefits. However, I am
uncomfortable with the idea that my voteis not completely secret,
no matter how good the reason, no matter how trustworthy the
government agency, no matterhow secure the information.
In the present emergency situation, it is unfortunate that the
only guaranteed secret ballot on June 2 will be one cast inperson
at the polls.
Here are my proposals:
1. Immediately limit the time that mail in envelopes are
associated with the ballots that came in them, for example a
settime after the election is certified or any legal matters are
settled.
2. Between now and November 3 explore other means of
accomplishing the exclusion of invalid ballots and auditing sothat
you no longer require a link between the voter's identity and their
ballot.
Thank you very much for your consideration. I hope you will
consider my proposals at your earliest opportunity.
Marc HoffmanSilver Spring, Md
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State of Maryland June 2 Primary Election – Election Preparation
Activities
151 West Street, Suite 200 PO Box 6486 Annapolis, MD 21401
Local - 410.269.2840 Toll Free - 800.222.8683 MD Relay -
800.735.2258 www.elections.maryland.gov
Election Preparation Activities 1. Over a two week period,
almost 3.5 million ballots were sent. 2. Election officials are
preparing to open 42 vote centers on June 2nd from 7 am - 8 pm
and
incorporating social distancing and safety guidelines in their
voting room layouts. There will be as much personal protective
equipment as we could order, including masks, gloves, sanitizer,
face shields, plexiglass dividers.
3. There will be 66 ballot drop off locations – one at each vote
center with additional locations in many jurisdictions. Two local
boards – Cecil and Montgomery – added ballot drop off locations in
response to the State Board’s action at the April 22nd meeting.
These containers will be open 24/7 from May 21st through 8 pm on
June 2nd.
4. We are supporting the local boards to provide remote access
to canvasses. 5. The statewide voter outreach and education
campaign has started. It will include digital,
print, radio, TV, targeted outreach and earned media. The
digital campaign, stakeholder outreach, and earned media efforts
are underway, and radio and TV will begin May 14th or May 15th.
What We’ve Learned So Far
1. It’s new for most voters. Voter education effort will help
with this. We are answering questions such as how do we make sure
voters only vote once, what do I do if I don’t get my ballot?, and
what’s the safest way to vote?
2. 90,000 voters in Prince George’s County didn’t receive the
English version of the instructions. They received only the Spanish
version. English versions were mailed on May 9th to affected
voters.
3. Why is “April 28, 2020” printed in the ballot header? The
ballot programming process
started on February 3rd and the deadline to certify the ballot
was February 24th. By March 17, the ballot databases were finalized
and all ballot proofing was complete, ballots had been sent to
military and overseas votes and delivered to nursing homes, and
ballots for in-person voting were already printed. All versions of
the ballots were sent to various vendors, and the post-election
audit software was being customized for the ballots. On March 17th,
the presidential primary election was moved to June 2nd. After this
happened, we had two options – restart the ballot process or
manually edit each version of each ballot style.
Restart the Ballot Process: Once the date in the database was
changed, the full testing process would be conducted. The local
boards in the 7th Congressional District did not have time to
reproof their ballots, and since ballots had already been sent,
these may not be scanned by the voting system. Manually Edit Each
Version of Each Ballot Style: This would have required manually
editing over 1,300 PDF documents and verifying formats and then
retesting.
Building and testing ballots is a deliberate process. Rushing
introduces great risk, and there was not enough time to safely make
this change.
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June 2 Election – Election Preparation Activities Page 2 of
2
4. Will precinct-level results be available? There are two ways
to provide precinct-level results for a vote-by-mail election. We
can program the ballot database to create a unique ballot style for
each precinct. This programming must happen when ballots are
created. Ballots for the presidential primary election were created
in February when we were planning a combined special general
election and presidential primary election on April 28, 2020. Since
there was insufficient time to reprogram the ballots after the
presidential primary election date was changed to June 2, 2020, the
ballots could not be programmed for precinct-level results for a
vote-by-mail election. The local boards of elections can sort by
precinct all of the voted ballots they receive, set up a scanner
for each precinct, and scan the ballots from voters in that
precinct into the scanner for that precinct. This would cause
exponential delays in the counting process without adding to the
integrity of the election process.
Our existing integrity checks and balances will be in place and
supplemented with new audits appropriate for a vote-by-mail
election. These checks and balances mean that voters and candidates
can be confident in how the election was conducted and the accuracy
of the results. For the June 2nd election, we will:
a. Compare the number of voters registered in a precinct against
the number of voters from that precinct that voted. This analysis
will identify any precincts where more voters voted than were
registered
b. Compare the number of ballots received against the number of
ballots presented for counting
c. Compare the number of ballots presented each day for counting
against the number of ballots that were accepted and rejected that
day
d. Compare the number of ballots scanned by a scanner against
the number of ballots counted by that scanner
e. Use a third-party to retabulate all ballot images from this
election and compare the results generated from the voting system
against the results from the third-party to verify the accuracy of
the voting system
With these audits and verifications, we can establish what
precinct-level results establishes – that is, the number of ballots
cast does not exceed the number of voters who are eligible to vote
in the election.
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PP20 – Unsigned Oath Cure
To the extent practicable, these procedures are to be followed
for absentee and vote by mail ballots returned without a signed
oath
When an envelope is received without the oath being signed, an
attempt shall be made to contact the voter. This process also
applies to oaths that are included inside the ballot envelope
(handwritten and web delivery template envelopes). This process is
to be followed to the extent practicable, with contact being made
no later than the 2nd Wednesday after the election.
Review the voter record for contact information
Email - if an email address is available, send an email to the
voter informing them of the oversight and provide the options
available to sign their oath.
Telephone number - if no email address is available but there is
a telephone number, attempt to contact the voter by telephone to
inform them of the oversight and provide the options available to
sign their oath.
Mail - if no email address or telephone number are available,
send a letter to the voter informing them of the oversight and
provide options available to sign their oath.
Cure Methods
In Person - the voter may go to the local board office and sign
the oath.
If your office is serving the public by appointment only, please
let the voter know of available appointments
If your office is closed but you are providing service outside
your office, please ask the voter to call the office when the voter
arrives and facilitate the voter signing the oath.
Electronic oath delivery - the local board can email the voter
the oath. The voter prints and signs the oath. The oath may be
returned in person, by mail, or scanned or taken a picture of and
emailed back to the local board.
Recommendation: Organize these per local board procedures to aid
in locating the envelope quickly when/if required documentation is
received.
All oaths must be signed and received by the local board not
later than 10:00am on the 2nd Friday after the election, or the
ballot will be rejected at the final canvass.
Canvass these on the final day of canvass to allow time for the
signed oath to be received. Incoming mail and email must be checked
daily for submissions.
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Response to Green Party letters: From: Jared DeMarinis -SBE
Date: Mon, May 4, 2020, 9:05 AM Subject: Re: Public Comment: Sign
On Letter Re Lowering Petition Thresholds, Electronic Signatures
To: Owen Silverman Andrews Dear Mr. Andrews: This correspondence is
in response to your request to lower or eliminate the petition
signature number requirements. The Governor’s March 12 Emergency
Order gave State agencies authority to suspend deadlines or other
statutory timeframes during this state of emergency. But this does
not include the authority to eliminate or reduce petition signature
requirements. Separately, the Governor’s various election-related
orders (March 17 and April 10) authorized the State Board to change
the format of, and other requirements for, the special general
election for the 7th Congressional District and the presidential
primary election, but the petition issues do not relate to these
elections. In each proclamation, the Governor never conveyed any
authority to reduce or eliminate petition signature gathering
requirements. One area that the State Board does have discretion
over petition is regarding the acceptance of electronic signatures.
At the April 22 Board meeting, the Board decided on a temporary
basis in response to the COVID-19 health crisis to accept
electronic signatures on petitions. In addition, under Maryland law
signatures on a new party petition are valid for up to two years
before the filing date of the last qualifying signature. This means
that if you engaged in any signature-gathering activity since the
Green Party lost its recognized status on January 1, 2019, you
would be able to include those signatures on any petition for
recognition you file this year. Please feel free to contact me if
you have any questions. Thank you.
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Maryland State Board of Elections 151 West Street, Suite 200
Annapolis, MD 21401
RE: Proposed Emergency Regulatory Changes Dear Board
Members:
I am writing today with concerns about changes to regulation
33.01.01.02, regarding the canvassing of ballots. The proposed
regulation change would require that only one person be physically
present for the review and canvass of ballots after voting has
closed. This proposal is problematic for a number of reasons and I
hope that SBE will consider withdrawing this regulatory change and
propose new amendments to existing regulations that address the
concerns outlined below.
Although unseen by most voters, the canvass of votes is an
incredibly important process that includes a visual inspection of
any ballots that were not already placed in a machine. In a vote by
mail situation, this means nearly every ballot will be canvassed,
rather than just absentee ballots in a “normal” election. Usually,
multiple people are able to be present to review the canvass and
challenge any problems they see – either with the ballot or by the
official canvasser. What the SBE is proposing is to allow only one
person to be physically present – period. There is no other
requirement in the amended regulation or in other regulations.1
The SBE is not proposing in its regulation, for instance,
inclusion of a requirement to live-stream the canvass process. It
also makes no guarantees about the quality of any live-stream.
There are many other updates of regulations that also need to occur
to continue the transparency that currently exists in our
canvassing process, but that SBE will extinguish if this proposed
regulation goes into effect. These regulatory changes could include
the following:
33.08.01.07 Public Attendance at Canvass Add either in person or
remotely by live video stream. Live video streams must show any
documentation, deliberations and decisions clearly enough for
observers to evaluate the correctness of decisions. They must show
all parts of rooms involved in the canvass because if someone was
there in-person, they would have access to seeing that.
1 I also see no notation in the proposed regulation that it
would only be applicable for elections that proceed almost entirely
by mail, so I assume this proposed regulation would be law until it
is amended or changed. That means that conceivably, the SBE could
open up voting again to the regular process but not open up the
challenge procedure.
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33.08.01.03 Substitute Board Members B. Party Representation:
During every session, however, both principal political parties
shall always be represented, either in person or remotely by
video.
33.08.01.08 Challenges
A1. An individual who wishes to bring a challenge regarding an
action of the local board on an absentee ballot or provisional
ballot application shall make the challenge at the time the ballot
(or application) is presented, either remotely or in person, for
acceptance or rejection. (This assumes that any video feed is clear
enough for a challenger to see the information on the
documents.)
33.08.01.10 Report of Votes Cast
The total votes cast for all offices and on all questions: By
precinct for votes cast on election day in a polling place unless
less than 5
cast votes for any contest. By precinct or ballot style, for
votes cast during early voting or by absentee or
provisional voting unless less than 5 cast votes for any
contest.
33.08.03.02 Public Inspection of Ballot and Other Documents
Either in person or remotely, observers and challengers …
33.11.05.04 Ballot Rejection - Multiple Ballots from the Same
Individual
B1. If the signed oaths have different dates, only the ballot
with the (later) first date shall be counted. C. If an absentee
ballot and provisional ballot are received from the same
individual, the local board shall reject both ballots - ? (This is
impossible if the absentee ballot is counted before election
day.)
SBE’s proposed amendment is wholly inadequate: it merely
curtails the rights of Marylanders to be part of the canvassing
process, and does not modify or require any alterations to ensure
the process is accessible to more than the individual doing the
canvass. It makes our elections remarkably less transparent and
less secure.
The canvassing that just occurred in the CD-7 race does not
instill great confidence but it does provide a guide. They had two
canvassers and the live stream available. Two canvassers seemed to
pose no real risks but the live stream was too far away to provide
adequate ability to review the ballots.
SBE should require two people – not one – to be present for
every canvass (maintaining physical distance as required) and
require a livestream that allows for clear viewing of every single
ballot. It must also require a challenge to be made remotely as
well.
Finally, I echo the concerns of my colleagues who have reached
out to you regarding a tally of votes by precinct. It is imperative
that this occur and there is no reason that it cannot.
I look forward to your response to these proposals and further
thoughts to ensure that the integrity of Maryland’s election
process remains intact.
My best,
Brooke E. Lierman
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State Board of Elections
Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs CommitteeMay
13, 2020 - 1 pm
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Overview of 2020 Election Changes● Special General Election for
the 7th Congressional District
○ Held on April 28th ○ Conducted primarily by mail with limited
in-person voting opportunities○ Results are in the process of being
certified○ See Governor’s Proclamation dated March 17, 2020
● Presidential Primary Election○ Moved to J une 2, 2020○ Conduct
primarily by mail with limited in-person voting opportunities○
Ballot counting can start on May 21st with results embargoed until
J une 2nd○ Provide notice to voters and other voter education ○ See
Governor’s Proclamation dated April 10 , 2020 and renewed May 6,
2020
● Presidential General Election○ November 3, 2020○ No changes to
date for this election
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● Sent over 490,000 ballots to voters in the 7th Congressional
District● Unofficial turnout was 157,028 or 32%
○ Over 156,000 ballots were returned by mail (31.8%)○ 1,009
voters voted in person on election day (0 .2%)
● 3 in-person voting locations - 1 in each jurisdiction● 6
ballot drop off locations - 2 in each jurisdiction● Bought PPE
○ 4,500 of masks○ 3,000 pairs of gloves○ 375 12 oz containers of
hand sanitizer○ 150 of face shields,○ 80 Plexiglass dividers
● Over 5.5 million ads seen or heard over 6 days
Special General Election Facts (A pr i l 2 8 t h )
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Sample Ads
● WBAL RADIO –
● WOLB RADIO –
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FACEBOOK/INSTAGRAM ADS★
DIG
ITAL
MED
IAPE
RFO
RM
ANC
E
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Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs CommitteeMay
13, 2020 - 1 pm
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What did we learn?
● Mature absentee voting process can be expanded to a
vote-by-mail process
● Local election officials quickly transitioned to
vote-by-mail
● Work with USPS to understand differences in delivery rate
data
● Enhance audits to verify that all eligible voters receive a
ballot
● Expand voter education efforts
● Voters liked the ballot drop off containers
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Presidential Primary Election - G et t i n g R ea dy
● Sent almost 3.5 million ballots over a 2-week period● Deadline
to register to vote or change party is May 27th● 42 vote centers
will be open on J une 2nd from 7 am - 8 pm
○ At least 1 and up to 4 centers in each jurisdiction
● 66 ballot drop off locations ○ Open 24/7 from May 21st through
8 pm on J une 2nd○ 1 at each vote center○ Additional locations in
many jurisdictions
● Planning vote centers to comply with social distancing and
safety guidelines● Receiving PPE● Helping local boards provide
remote access to canvasses
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Presidential Primary Election - G et t i n g R ea dy (c on t
’d)
● Preparing statewide media campaign, including digital, print,
radio, TV, targeted outreach and earned media
● Stakeholder outreach and earned media underway
● Digital campaign launched May 8 and expand as J une 2
approaches
● Radio and TV will begin airing this week (by May 14 or May
15)
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What we’ve heard so far…..● It’s new for most voters. Voter
education effort will help with this.
○ How do we make sure voters only vote once?○ What do I do if I
don’t get my ballot?○ What’s the safest way to vote?
● Why is “April 28, 2020” printed in the ballot header?● 90,000
voters in Prince George’s County didn’t receive the English version
of
the instructions. They received only the Spanish version.○
English versions are en route to affected voters. ○ No other
counties have encountered this issue.
● Will precinct-level results be available?
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Timeline for Creating Ballots● Started creating ballots:
February 3● Deadline to certify the ballot: February 24● By March
17:
○ Ballot databases were finalized and all ballot proofing was
complete○ Ballots had been sent to military and overseas votes and
delivered to nursing homes○ Ballots for in-person voting were
already printed○ The post-election audit software was being
customized for the ballots ○ All versions of the ballots were sent
to various vendors
● On March 17, the presidential primary election was moved to J
une 2
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Impact of Updating the Date● Building and testing ballots is a
deliberate process. Rushing introduces great
risk, and there was not enough time to safely make this change.●
Option #1: Restart the ballot process
○ Ballots had already been sent ○ Must perform another set of
testing after changing the date in the database ○ The local boards
in the 7th Congressional District did not have time to reproof
their ballots○ Already issued ballots may not be scanned by the
voting equipment○ Making changes to the online delivery system when
voters are using is risky
● Option #2: Manually edit each version of each ballot style○
This would have required manually editing over 1,300 PDF documents
and verifying formats○ Must perform another set of testing after
manually changing the dates on the PDF documents○ The local boards
in the 7th Congressional District did not have time to reproof
their ballots
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Presidential General Election
● As of now, it will be conducted as a “normal” election.
● Our mailhouse can support a vote-by-mail election.
● Our ballot printer has ordered enough paper for a “normal”
election.● We are planning to produce precinct-level results for
this election, regardless
of how it is conducted.
● Decision about how to conduct this election needs to be made
in J une 2020.
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Questions?
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State of Maryland Special General Election for the 7th
Congressional District Review
151 West Street, Suite 200 PO Box 6486 Annapolis, MD 21401
Local - 410.269.2840 Toll Free - 800.222.8683 MD Relay -
800.735.2258 www.elections.maryland.gov
Election Data Turnout by jurisdiction: 32%
● Baltimore City: 58,142 (25.0%) ● Baltimore County: 52,095
(38.1%) ● Howard County: 46,786 (38.5%)
In-person turnout: 1,004 voters ● Baltimore City: 453 ●
Baltimore County: 322 ● Howard County: 229
Same day registration: 5 individuals ● Baltimore City: 4 ●
Baltimore County: 1 ● Howard County: 0
Undeliverable ballots: 28,608 ● Baltimore City: 20,367 ●
Baltimore County: 4,355 ● Howard County: 3,886
Rejected ballots (Percentage based on total number of rejected
ballots by county) ● Baltimore City: 2,172
- 1,687 ballots were rejected for being late (78%) - 313 ballots
were rejected for no signature (14%)
● Baltimore County: 1,503 - 1,186 ballots were rejected for
being late (79%) - 225 ballots were rejected for no signature
(8%)
● Howard County: 1,460 - 1,278 ballots were rejected for being
late (87%) - 122 ballots were rejected for no signature (8%)
There were at least five voters at each vote center that used
the ballot marking device to make their selections. Voter Outreach
& Education
● Message was seen or heard over 5.5 million times over 6 days ●
Digital Media Strategy included Google Display, Facebook, and
Instagram and targeted
users 18-65+ living in the zip codes for the 7th Congressional
District. ○ Google Display: We displayed ads when users were
browsing websites, like blogs
and news sites. This effort reached 2.8 million users during 7
days, with almost 3 times as many views as Facebook/Instagram.
Users aged 25-34 garnered the most views, followed by users 65+
○ Facebook/Instagram: We displayed video and static image ads.
Instagram delivered more impressions (57%) than Facebook, and
static ads had more impressions than Instagram. This
click-through-rate (users who clicked the ad and ended up on SBE’s
website) with Facebook and Instagram was twice that of Google
Display.
● Radio and Baltimore Sun included a mix of stations to reach a
diverse audience while focusing on an older demographic and
BaltimoreSun.com. The result of the radio buys was over 1.5 million
estimated impressions for $17,000. The stations on which the ads
ran were WLIF (101.9), WMMX (106.5), WBAL-AM, WOLB-AM, and WWIN
(95.9). Rotating ads were placed on BaltimoreSun.com over five days
and received over 213,000 views.
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Special General Election for the 7th Congressional District –
Review Page 2 of 2 Lessons Learned
1. Mature absentee voting process can be expanded to a
vote-by-mail process 2. Local election officials quickly
transitioned to vote-by-mail 3. Work with USPS to understand
differences in delivery rate data 4. Enhance audits to verify that
all eligible voters receive a ballot 5. Expand voter education
efforts 6. Voters liked the ballot drop off containers 7. The three
local boards in the 7th Congressional District are sharing with
their colleagues
in other local boards their best practices for preparing for and
conducting a vote-by-mail canvass
May_14_2020Ballot Drop Off Boxes_Ballot Retrieval Procedures
v1.2 05082020When the ballots (in the ballot bin) are returned to
the office:
BMD Usage_BCity_Request for More BMDS 04232020BMD Usage_Cecil
County_Request for More BMDs_04282020BMD Usage_Prince Georges
Co_Request for More BMDs 05072020pdfBMD Usgae_Montgomery Co_Request
for More BMDs_05052020CD 7 Special General Review 05142020COMAR
33.07.03.04 Polling Place Evaluation ProgramAuthority: Election Law
Article, §§2-102(b)(4), 2-202(b), and 10-301, Annotated Code of
Maryland[.04 Polling Place Evaluation Program.
COMAR 33.11.03.06 Return of Voted Ballots - Voting
LocationsComments -City Petition candidate Kahan S. Dhillon,
Jr.EHEA Hearing Follow-Up Cheryl Kagan Letter
5-13-2020Hoffman_Email_Toward a secret mail-in ballot system
05062020June 2 Primary Election Activities 05142020MD Voting Rights
Advocates - Letter to SBE 5_13_2020(1)PP20 Unsigned Oath
CureResponse to Green Party lettersSBE Lierman LetterSenate EHE
Presentation -5_13_2020_EHE VersionState Board of ElectionsOverview
of 2020 Election ChangesSpecial General Election Facts (April
28th)Sample AdsSlide Number 5Slide Number 6Slide Number 7What did
we learn?Slide Number 9Presidential Primary Election - Getting
ReadyPresidential Primary Election - Getting Ready (cont’d)�What
we’ve heard so far…..Timeline for Creating BallotsImpact of
Updating the DatePresidential General ElectionQuestions?
CD 7 Special General Review 05142020